A silent killer among us claims a life in New Zealand every five hours - that's one at breakfast, another by lunch, and another by tea-time.
The facts speak for themselves. Every hour, someone in New Zealand will have a stroke. It is the third leading cause of death. One in every 10 deaths is caused by stroke.
March is Stroke Awareness month. Stroke Central New Zealand's community partnerships officer Anne Jager-Annear lets the chilling statistics speak for themselves in spreading awareness.
"And it's getting worse. The numbers are getting bigger," she said.
Stroke Central New Zealand's community partnerships officer Anne Jager-Annear.
Every year 10,000 New Zealanders will have a stroke. There are more than 50,000 survivors living with the aftermath of a stroke, and about one-third require assistance with every day living.
Stroke is no longer a disease of the elderly. More than 54 per cent of people affected by stroke are younger than 75 years.
There is a trend towards increasing stroke incidence in people younger than 65 years. One-third of people affected by stroke are younger than 65 years. In Māori and Pacific people, more than 60 per cent of those affected by stroke are younger than 65 years.
Māori and Pacific people also have 2-3 times greater risk of having a stroke compared to NZ Europeans, while males had a 20 per cent greater risk of developing stroke compared to women, especially in young age groups.
Jager-Annear said many New Zealanders don't recognise the signs of a stroke and delayed recognition meant delayed medical intervention, often with tragic consequences.
They had actively promoted the F.A.S.T. message over the years, which helped people realise the signs of stroke and that quick intervention can lead to better outcomes for stroke survivors.
Face – Does the person's face look different? Is one side of the face droopy?
Arms – Can the person raise both arms? Is one side weak?
Speech – Speak a little sentence. Is the person able to? Is the speech slurred?
Take Action – Lost time could be lost brain. Call 111 to get to the hospital FAST!
Jager-Annear said Stroke Central would prefer to hold public meetings to spread awareness during Stroke Awareness Month, but due to the current Covid-19 restrictions they were forced to move their efforts online.
Stroke Central CEO Lee Pownall said it was the third year that Stroke Awareness Month had been affected by Covid and it had affected the ability of staff and volunteers to educate the public on stroke and fundraise within their communities.
"We still want to educate Aotearoa on stroke because every hour in NZ someone suffers a stroke and every five hours someone dies from a stroke. It's tragic."
This year Stroke Central New Zealand has partnered with Auckland University of Technology and organised two webinars throughout March that are free for anyone to join.
"We want everyone to join, whether you have been affected by stroke or not. Join the webinars and then take all the information with you and share it with your whānau, friends, and community. You never know, your knowledge might save someone's life."
The online webinars would be hosted by director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield and director of Stroke & Neurosciences at AUT Prof Valery Feigin, followed by Dr Harry McNaughton on stroke recovery.
"Dr McNaughton's research on Taking Charge After Stroke is going to be very important in the next few years for Stroke in New Zealand and how we work with stroke survivors in recovery," Pownall said.
"It helps people to take charge of your own destiny after surviving a stroke."
Both sessions will have elements dedicated to Māori and Pacifica.
Webinar one: Wednesday, March 16, 3-4pm: Stroke Prevention in Aotearoa, New Zealand - Are we doing enough? with Dr Ashley Bloomfield (Ministry of Health) and Professor Valery Feigin (AUT). Link to livestream: https://vimeo.com/event/1895943
Webinar two: Tuesday, March 22, 9-10am: Take Charge After Stroke with Dr Harry McNaughton.
Jager-Annear said Covid-19 had hurt the organisation's ability to "shake buckets" and fundraise and they were doing their best to raise funds.
"We are having to look at other options," she said.
A koha towards Stroke Central NZ's free stroke services is appreciated and can be donated via their GoFundraise page. www.gofundraise.co.nz/beneficiary/strokecentral
Kate Jenkins is the new Kapiti/Horowhenua Field Officer for Stroke Central.
Meanwhile, Kate Jenkins has been announced as the new Kapiti/Horowhenua field officer for Stroke Central - kate@strokecentral.org.nz.
